The present invention relates to a robot apparatus and more particularly, is suitably applied to a robot apparatus which is adapted to operate in cooperation with other robot apparatuses.
Conventionally, there has been proposed and developed such cooperation for a group of robots that a plurality of robots changes their own motions in accordance with motions or the like of other robots. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-128025, there has been disclosed a robot control apparatus which operates a plurality of robots for use in a factory or the like in cooperation with each other. Also, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-49188, it has been disclosed that such a feelings changing device as to show different responses, like a human being, in accordance with feelings when voice is inputted, is applicable to a robot.
In the plurality of robots for use in the above-described factory, each robot only operates on the basis of an instruction to be given from an operator through the robot control apparatus, and in a robot with the feelings changing device, it shows a response only when voice is inputted from the operator. So, these robots only operate in accordance with the instruction from the operator.
The present invention has been achieved in view of the above-described points, and is aimed to propose a robot apparatus which is the one of a group of robots and is capable of autonomously operating in cooperation with the other robot apparatuses.
In order to solve the above-described problem, according to the present invention, a robot apparatus adapted to operate in cooperation with other robot apparatuses comprises: an input means for receiving and inputting transmitted information which is transmitted from another robot apparatus; a motion decision means which extracts, from the transmitted information, discrimination information which is for specifying a robot apparatus targeted for transmission and communication information which is to be communicated to the robot apparatus targeted for transmission, and which compares the discrimination information with discrimination information allocated to the robot apparatus in advance to decide its motion on the basis of the comparison result and the communication information; and an operating means for operating in accordance with a motion decided by the motion decision means.
As a result, since the robot apparatus decides its motion on the basis of the transmitted information transmitted from another robot apparatus, it is possible to realize a robot apparatus which operates in cooperation with other robot apparatuses regardless of any instructions from the operator. Thus, such robot apparatuses can autonomously operate in cooperation with each other in a group.